Furniture Upcycling
Furniture Upcycling
It was very important to us to use preloved furniture where possible within the lodge.
Modern furniture wouldn’t suit Dippal Lodge’s history or surroundings. After a long search I found the perfect golden oak sideboard from Kean on Antiques to transform into a kitchen sink and worktop area. The first step was to remove the mirrored upstand and the wooden top. While doing this I found a postcard from 1954 which I have framed and hung in the lodge.
Next step was to shorten the drawers to accommodate all the pipework. Andy McKenzie Plumbing & Gas services did all plumbing. An inset circular sink was the perfect fit for the oval bevel at the front of the sideboard. Quartz was picked for the worktop thanks to its hardwearing properties and cut to size.
The mirrored upstand was upcycled into a pot rack by Hayway Joinery. Copper pipe was put through the middle and Arowe Electrics concealed a LED light within the pot rack.
For the bathroom vanity stand and mirror an antique mahogany dressing table was used. The mirror was separated from the base so that it could be hung on the wall as a bathroom mirror. Again the drawers were shortened for pipework to be concealed within. Then the wooden top was removed and replaced with a quartz worktop for the basin and tap to sit upon.
David went on a 400 mile round trip for the antique bed which was located in Aberdeen. The bed didn’t need any work, only a new bespoke mattress to fit its unique size.
Next time you are looking for a piece of furniture I would highly recommend a search on Gumtree, Facebook and local antique stores for ideas.
About Us
Welcome to our family farm!
We feel very blessed to call our farm home and are excited to be able to share part of it with you.
Our estate is a 5000 acre hill farm located in the Muirkirk Uplands of East Ayrshire. All of the land surrounding Dippal Lodge is classed as Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and is home to rare bird species and wildlife along with our Herdwick and Welsh Mountain sheep.
Our farm’s story started in 2003 when, aged 17, David moved to Muirkirk from Devon the month after passing his driving test. Over the years he expanded the business and in 2012 met me, Cora at the Highland show. We now have two young sons, Lynton and Cassian who are already budding farmers and are out helping on the farm every day.
For hundreds of years there has always been a building on the site at Dippal Lodge. Originally this would have been a dwelling for a shepherd and his family. In 1998 the ruin of a cottage was rebuilt as a lunch hut for shooting parties, when the farm used to be run as a grouse shooting estate.
In 2018 I started to look into the Ayrshire LEADER funding programme for farm diversification. In 2019 we were awarded a grant for agritourism and could breathe some new life back into the building, along with some much needed love. David and I had always wanted to do something with the building, as even when out in the pouring rain for a sheep gather the area at the Dippal is beautiful
We decided on the name Dippal Lodge as the Dippal burn runs past the site and on the lapwing as our logo as it is one of the birds of high conservation concern that you can see in the area. As part of our farming system we have entered into a lot of agri-environment schemes to improve the habitat for all species. Over the last few years we have also undertaken a huge peatland restoration programme with the RSPB to improve the farm’s carbon capture.
To keep up to date with the goings on at Cooper Farms please follow our blog
Best wishes,
David, Cora, Lynton and Cassian
For hundreds of years there has always been a building on the site at Dippal Lodge. Originally this would have been a dwelling for a shepherd and his family. In 1998 the ruin of a cottage was rebuilt as a lunch hut for shooting parties, when the farm used to be run as a grouse shooting estate.
In 2018 I started to look into the Ayrshire LEADER funding programme for farm diversification. In 2019 we were awarded a grant for agritourism and could breathe some new life back into the building, along with some much needed TLC. David and I had always wanted to do something with the building, as even when out in the pouring rain for a sheep gather the area at the Dippal is truly breathtaking.
We decided on the name Dippal Lodge as the Dippal burn runs past the site and on the lapwing as our logo as it is one of the red list birds that you can see in the area. As part of our farming system we have entered into a lot of agri-environment schemes to improve the habitat for all species. Over the last few years we have also undertaken a huge peatland restoration programme with the RSPB to improve the farm’s carbon capture.
To keep up to date with the goings on at Cooper Farms please follow our blog
Best wishes,
David, Cora, Lynton and Cassian
Meet The Team
Meet The Team
Cora and her husband David are the owners of Cooper Farms. Together with their young sons Lynton and Cassian they run the business alone.
David is the farmer in the family and won the Farmers Weekly Young Farmer Of The Year 2016.
His passion is low maintenance sheep production and has spent years perfecting his sheep breeding to allow this. All of their sheep lamb themselves and get all the nutrition they need from the wild hill grazing. To find more about David’s farming system read his profile on Just Farmers by clicking read more below.
Cora is the founder of Dippal Lodge. Not coming from a farming background, she has experience in the PR & events industry and wanted to use those skills to share part of their farm with others. Cora designed the interiors of Dippal Lodge and really enjoyed sourcing all of the unique furniture from all over the country. Not to be outdone by David she was also Miss Earth Scotland 2010.
Off Grid
Off Grid Luxury
Being so far off the beaten track getting power and water to Dippal Lodge was a bit of a challenge. Due to the remote location getting mains electricity and water wasn’t an option so we had to think outside of the box.
There is a hill spring close to the lodge, which was a good source, but it is below the building. We installed a tank at the spring to collect the water, and a pump to push it up the hill to the building, also providing us with our water pressure after it’s climb.
The water pump needs power so that was the next thing to solve. We decided that the best option was for was a combination of solar panels, battery storage and a back up generator for those dark Scottish winter days. As the lodge is located on a site of special scientific interest some off grid power solutions like wind turbines are not allowed.
The sewage system is not something you immediately think requires power. As we want to be as energy efficient as possible we installed a Bio Rock septic tank which requires no electricity and has a low carbon footprint.
All of our lights are LED and use very little energy.
We designed our system to be as hassle free and carbon neutral as possible, so our guests can enjoy all the comforts of modern life.
For hundreds of years there has always been a building on the site at Dippal Lodge. Originally this would have been a dwelling for a shepherd and his family. In 1998 the ruin of a cottage was rebuilt as a lunch hut for shooting parties, when the farm used to be run as a grouse shooting estate.
In 2018 I started to look into the Ayrshire LEADER funding programme for farm diversification. In 2019 we were awarded a grant for agritourism and could breathe some new life back into the building, along with some much needed TLC. David and I had always wanted to do something with the building, as even when out in the pouring rain for a sheep gather the area at the Dippal is truly breathtaking.
We decided on the name Dippal Lodge as the Dippal burn runs past the site and on the lapwing as our logo as it is one of the red list birds that you can see in the area. As part of our farming system we have entered into a lot of agri-environment schemes to improve the habitat for all species. Over the last few years we have also undertaken a huge peatland restoration programme with the RSPB to improve the farm’s carbon capture.
To keep up to date with the goings on at Cooper Farms please follow our blog
Best wishes,
David, Cora, Lynton and Cassian